


Machina; An Air-bound Archipelago

by alexthedungeonmaster



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types
Genre: Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Homebrew Content, LGBTQ Character, Role-Playing Game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-11-15 15:29:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18076052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexthedungeonmaster/pseuds/alexthedungeonmaster
Summary: Machina is a series of islands floating in the sky, built thousands of years ago by an ancient civilization. Not much is known about the history of the islands, aside from the fact that the Creators were Simic hybrids. Said Creators are viewed as god-like guardians of the citizens of the islands. Every single island has a dragon ruling over it, each of which was personally raised by the Simics. A cult with mostly rogue members that call themselves the Destroyers, have supposedly heard a prophecy from the Bronze Dragon, that has prompted them to stealthily begin sabotaging the archipelago, in hopes of bringing it safely to the ground. The party’s goal is to either help the cult and potentially destroy two countries, or possibly save Machina and innocent bystanders by stopping the cult.





	1. Character Info.

**Author's Note:**

> My friends and I play Dungeons and Dragons, and while we're playing I write down the events as a story, as the Dungeon Master. It's a bit rushed and sloppy at times, but that's because I'm literally writing the story as we play. If something seems confusing, that's either because it happened really randomly and really quickly, or because it'll get explained later.

 

Ling

| 

Artificer

(former Monk-Druid)

| 

Acolyte  
  
---|---|---  
  
 x

| 

Warforged

| 

Lawful Neutral  
  
 

Str

| 

Dex

| 

Con

| 

Int

| 

Wis

| 

Cha  
  
---|---|---|---|---|---  
  
9

| 

20

| 

15

| 

10

| 

15

| 

8  
  
+2

|   | 

+2

| 

+2

|   |    
  
 

Athletics

| 

Acrobatics

|   | 

Arcana

| 

Animals

| 

Deception  
  
---|---|---|---|---|---  
  | 

Sleight of Hand

|   | 

History

| 

Insight

| 

Intimidation  
  
  | 

Stealth

|   | 

Investigation

| 

Medicine

| 

Performance  
  
  |   |   | 

Nature

| 

Perception

| 

Persuasion  
  
  |   |   | 

Religion

| 

Survival

|    
  
 

  


Personality Traits

| 

Blunt, polite, logical  
  
---|---  
  
Ideals

| 

Faith: I trust that my deity will guide my actions, I have faith that if I work hard, things will go well. (Lawful)  
  
Bonds

| 

Home:

Friend(s):

Object(s):  
  
Flaws

| 

Subject to discrimination, object-damaging spells damage him  
  
Languages

| 

Common, Druidic  
  
  
  


 

Age

| 

21 years old  
  
---|---  
  
Height

| 

6’2”  
  
Weight

| 

275 lb.  
  
Eyes

| 

Mint Green  
  
Skin

| 

Dark Wood  
  
 

* * *

 

Tarkus

| 

Barbarian

| 

Soldier (cavalry)  
  
---|---|---  
  
Kaeleb

| 

Half-Orc

| 

Chaotic Neutral  
  
 

Str

| 

Dex

| 

Con

| 

Int

| 

Wis

| 

Cha  
  
---|---|---|---|---|---  
  
20

| 

8

| 

18

| 

3

| 

5

| 

2  
  
+2

|   | 

+1

|   |   |    
  
 

Athletics

| 

Acrobatics

|   | 

Arcana

| 

Animals

| 

Deception  
  
---|---|---|---|---|---  
  | 

Sleight of Hand

|   | 

History

| 

Insight

| 

Intimidation  
  
  | 

Stealth

|   | 

Investigation

| 

Medicine

| 

Performance  
  
  |   |   | 

Nature

| 

Perception

| 

Persuasion  
  
  |   |   | 

Religion

| 

Survival

|    
  
 

HP Max

| 

145  
  
---|---  
  
Current HP

| 

12  
  
Temp. Hp

| 

12  
  
 

Personality Traits

| 

Short-tempered, straight-forward, confident, destructive  
  
---|---  
  
Ideals

| 

Independence: When people follow orders blindly, they embrace a kind of tyranny. (Chaotic)

Live and Let Live: Ideals aren't worth killing over or going to war for. (Neutral)  
  
Bonds

| 

Home:

Friend(s):

Object(s):  
  
Flaws

| 

Little self-control, short temper  
  
Languages

| 

Common, Orc  
  
 

Age

| 

19 years old  
  
---|---  
  
Height

| 

6’10”  
  
Weight

| 

146 lb.  
  
Eyes

| 

Crimson  
  
Skin

| 

Pale-ish Red  
  
Hair

| 

Black, Short  
  
Other

| 

Left Eye Scar  
  
 

* * *

 

 

Hopels

| 

Monk-Cleric

(tranquility)

| 

(Far) Traveler  
  
---|---|---  
  
Bricen

| 

Human

| 

Lawful Good  
  
 

Str

| 

Dex

| 

Con

| 

Int

| 

Wis

| 

Cha  
  
---|---|---|---|---|---  
  
8

| 

13

| 

19

| 

7

| 

6

| 

7  
  
+1

| 

+1

| 

+1

| 

+1

| 

+1

| 

+1  
  
 

Athletics

| 

Acrobatics

|   | 

Arcana

| 

Animals

| 

Deception  
  
---|---|---|---|---|---  
  | 

Sleight of Hand

|   | 

History

| 

Insight

| 

Intimidation  
  
  | 

Stealth

|   | 

Investigation

| 

Medicine

| 

Performance  
  
  |   |   | 

Nature

| 

Perception

| 

Persuasion  
  
  |   |   | 

Religion

| 

Survival

|    
  
 

 

Personality Traits

| 

Timid, quiet, determined, self-confident, kind  
  
---|---  
  
Ideals

| 

Beauty: What is beautiful points us beyond itself toward what is true. (Good)

Logic: Emotions must not cloud our logical thinking. (Lawful)  
  
Bonds

| 

Home: Steampunk Central

Object(s): Books

Friend(s): Ling  
  
Flaws

| 

Not good with social interactions, physically weak  
  
Languages

| 

Common, Auran  
  
 

Age

| 

19 years old  
  
---|---  
  
Height

| 

4’11”  
  
Weight

| 

117 lb.  
  
Eyes

| 

Hazel  
  
Skin

| 

Pale  
  
Hair

| 

Brown, Short  
  
 

* * *

 

 

Alizeh (A-lee-zey)

| 

Druid

| 

Cloistered/Sheltered Scholar  
  
---|---|---  
  
Amber

| 

Air Genasi

| 

Neutral Evil  
  
 

Str

| 

Dex

| 

Con

| 

Int

| 

Wis

| 

Cha  
  
---|---|---|---|---|---  
  
1

| 

7

| 

14

| 

9

| 

20

| 

3  
  
  | 

+1

| 

+2

|   |   |    
  
 

Athletics

| 

Acrobatics

|   | 

Arcana

| 

Animals

| 

Deception  
  
---|---|---|---|---|---  
  | 

Sleight of Hand

|   | 

History

| 

Insight

| 

Intimidation  
  
  | 

Stealth

|   | 

Investigation

| 

Medicine

| 

Performance  
  
  |   |   | 

Nature

| 

Perception

| 

Persuasion  
  
  |   |   | 

Religion

| 

Survival

|    
  
 

 

Personality Traits

| 

Awkward, enthusiastic, strategist  
  
---|---  
  
Ideals

| 

Knowledge: The path to power and self-improvement is through knowledge. (Neutral)

Power: Knowledge is the path to power and domination. (Evil)  
  
Bonds

| 

Home: a medium village somewhere in Solitudinem

Friend(s): A Water Genasi named Rán (childhood friends) and a Human named Bo (Bo is a detective who taught Alizeh a few things)

Object(s): a small bottle filled with sand and small crystals hooked on a silver chain  
  
Flaws

| 

Physically frail  
  
Languages

| 

Common, Primordial, Druidic  
  
 

Age

| 

24 years old  
  
---|---  
  
Height

| 

5’11”  
  
Weight

| 

165 lb.  
  
Eyes

| 

Light Blue  
  
Skin

| 

Light Blue  
  
Hair

| 

White, Long  
  
 

* * *

 

 

Rydel

| 

Bard

| 

Entertainer  
  
---|---|---  
  
Stacker

| 

Wood Elf

| 

Lawful Good  
  
 

Str

| 

Dex

| 

Con

| 

Int

| 

Wis

| 

Cha  
  
---|---|---|---|---|---  
  
19

| 

20

| 

15

| 

7

| 

6

| 

20  
  
+2

| 

+2

| 

-2

| 

-2

|   |    
  
 

Athletics

| 

Acrobatics

|   | 

Arcana

| 

Animals

| 

Deception  
  
---|---|---|---|---|---  
  | 

Sleight of Hand

|   | 

History

| 

Insight

| 

Intimidation  
  
  | 

Stealth

|   | 

Investigation

| 

Medicine

| 

Performance  
  
  |   |   | 

Nature

| 

Perception

| 

Persuasion  
  
  |   |   | 

Religion

| 

Survival

|    
  
 

 

Personality Traits

| 

Obsessive, musical, awkward  
  
---|---  
  
Ideals

| 

Fairness: No one should get preferential treatment before the law, and no one is above the law. (Lawful)

Respect: People deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. (Good)  
  
Bonds

| 

Home: Silvis

Friend: Sister

Object: Ukulele  
  
Flaws

| 

Difficult to connect with people, shameful secret that some Silvis Elves know  
  
Languages

| 

Common, Elvish  
  
 

Age

| 

130 years old  
  
---|---  
  
Height

| 

6’2”  
  
Weight

| 

104 lb.  
  
Eyes

| 

Green  
  
Skin

| 

Tan  
  
Hair

| 

Brown  
  
**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Level: 1  
> EXP: 0


	2. Additional Info.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These are just some of the rules we both came up with and researched. I also added some information about the islands.

  * D4, D6, D8, D10, D12
    * Weapons damage
    * Attacks
    * Healing
  * D20 (does an action succeed?)
    * Spells
    * Saving throws
    * Skill checks
    * Ability covers



 

  * Food
    * You need 1 lb. of food per day and can make food last longer by eating half rations.
    * You can go without food for a number of days equal to 3 + your Con modifier.



 

  * Water
    * You need 1 gal. of water per day, or 2 gal. per day if the weather is hot.
    * You’ll be fine drinking less than that (or none) for a day, as long as you manage a 15 or above saving throw for Con.



 

Stone bridges (held together by ropes) connect the islands. However, not all islands are connected to the capital; Steampunk Central. However, Glacies, Solitudinem, Pluviam, and Lapis are connected to it. Ignis and Silvis are accessible through Solitudinem. Palus is connected to Pluviam.

 

  * Steampunk Central
    * Capital (home to all)
    * Adamantine Dragon (disrupts 4th dimension)
  * [Ignis](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters?filter-type=0&filter-search=fire&filter-cr-min=&filter-cr-max=&filter-armor-class-min=&filter-armor-class-max=&filter-average-hp-min=&filter-average-hp-max=&filter-is-legendary=&filter-has-lair=)
    * Fire (Dragonborn, Tieflings)
    * Gold Dragon (fire)  

  * [Glacies](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters?filter-type=0&filter-search=&filter-cr-min=&filter-cr-max=&filter-environment=1&filter-armor-class-min=&filter-armor-class-max=&filter-average-hp-min=&filter-average-hp-max=&filter-is-legendary=&filter-has-lair=)
    * Ice (Half-Orc, Humans)
    * Silver Dragon (ice)  

  * [Solitudinem](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters?filter-type=0&filter-search=&filter-cr-min=&filter-cr-max=&filter-environment=3&filter-armor-class-min=&filter-armor-class-max=&filter-average-hp-min=&filter-average-hp-max=&filter-is-legendary=&filter-has-lair=)
    * Desert (Gnomes, Halflings)
    * Green Dragon (chlorine gas)  

  * [Silvis](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters?filter-type=0&filter-search=&filter-cr-min=&filter-cr-max=&filter-environment=4&filter-armor-class-min=&filter-armor-class-max=&filter-average-hp-min=&filter-average-hp-max=&filter-is-legendary=&filter-has-lair=)
    * Woods (Elves, Humans)
    * Copper Dragon (acid)  

  * [Pluviam](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters?filter-type=0&filter-search=&filter-cr-min=&filter-cr-max=&filter-environment=2&filter-environment=4&filter-armor-class-min=&filter-armor-class-max=&filter-average-hp-min=&filter-average-hp-max=&filter-is-legendary=&filter-has-lair=)
    * Rainforest (Elves, Half-Elves)
    * Black Dragon (acid)  

  * [Lapis](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters?filter-type=0&filter-search=&filter-cr-min=&filter-cr-max=&filter-environment=9&filter-armor-class-min=&filter-armor-class-max=&filter-average-hp-min=&filter-average-hp-max=&filter-is-legendary=&filter-has-lair=)
    * Caves (Dwarves)
    * White Dragon (ice)  

  * [Palus](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters?filter-type=0&filter-search=&filter-cr-min=&filter-cr-max=&filter-environment=8&filter-armor-class-min=&filter-armor-class-max=&filter-average-hp-min=&filter-average-hp-max=&filter-is-legendary=&filter-has-lair=)
    * Swamp (black mages)
    * Bronze Dragon (electricity)




	3. Day 1

Day 1 - Early Morning

_ Tavern, Steampunk Central _

This story takes place on Machina, an air-bound archipelago. We find ourselves in a Steampunk Central tavern, early in the morning, where an odd assortment of travelers resides. A Warforged monk-druid named Ling. A Half-Orc Barbarian named Tarkus. A Wood Elf bard named Rydel. An Air Genasi druid named Alizeh. And finally, a Human monk-cleric named… Hopels?

They have yet to meet, but they all relax at the bar together. Suddenly, they hear a nearby Halfling villager loudly exclaim, “You can’t be serious!”. Unknowingly catching their attention, the halfling continues, though a bit more subdued.

“This archipelago has been around since the beginning of time-- since the Creators! It won’t fall because of the dirty work of a few crazy cultists,” he states in disbelief. Others nearby now appear thoughtful and nervous.

The Elf, named Findeyle, that first mentioned the rumor to the Halfling, named Holfo, speaks up. “While it’s only a rumor… It comes from a good source. However, I prefer a peaceful life, so I suppose the most I’m willing to do is sit back and see what happens,” she calmly explains. The mostly silent eavesdropping villagers now start panicking a bit. They mutter, “Then who will stop them?”, and, “This can’t be true, can it?” Mixed in are anxious snippets from villagers not speaking Common.

One of the people at the bar, the Air Genasi named Alizeh turns her head and speaks up, questioning the Elf.

“What is this cult?” she asks.

“The cultists call themselves the Destroyers, and their goal is to take down the islands,” Findeyle responds hesitantly. “It’s not like  _ we’re _ going to try to stop them, though.”

“What would the consequences be?” Alizeh continues to ask.

“Anyone who would try to stop them would be…  _ hushed _ , if you get what I mean.”

Tarkus, the Half-Orc sitting at the bar, bluntly asks, “What would happen if you punched them?” It almost sounds like a rhetorical question. Nobody quite knows how to respond, and an awkward silence follows.

“Well, screw them!” the now moderately intoxicated Alizeh exclaims all of a sudden.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” Ling, the Warforged, speaks up for a moment, taken aback.

As Alizeh stands and walks around the room, proceeding to absent-mindedly rant, Rydel the Wood Elf-- who is likely tipsy as well-- decides to get up and follow her. He strums his ukulele as they move around the tavern. The Human named Hopels quietly sips his tea. He is only a novice healer and is training amidst his travels. He is now questioning his decision to leave his house.

Everyone sitting at the tavern bar (including those who formerly resided there), is now interested in their fellow bar-sitters. Ling and Hopels begin conversing, bonding over their enthusiasm regarding religion and their statuses as monks. Ling becomes easily distracted, and as he wanders away from the conversation, Hopels returns to his Medicinal Book. Ling takes notice of the bard, Rydel, and they bond over their shared love of music.

* * *

 

 

Day 1 - Morning

_ Tavern, Steampunk Central _

Perhaps an hour or so has passed since our heroes’ introductions, and everyone’s drunken states have faded. As they nurse their slightly hungover heads at the bar, they decide to formally introduce themselves to each other and discuss the alleged cult. Rydel is known for occasionally wandering off and popping back up all of a sudden, which he has just done. Hopels nodded off a bit ago with his head laying on his Medicinal Book. Alizeh introduces herself.

“You! Over there, what’s your name?” Alizeh points to the barbarian, questioning him.

“Tarkus,” he replies gruffly.

“What?”

“ _ Tarkus _ .”

“What?”

“ _ Tarkus _ !”

“How are you doing today, sir?” Ling steps into the conversation, gesturing to Tarkus. Tarkus replies with a single thumbs-up, that contradicts his stone-faced expression.

The party is officially formed! Despite Rydel’s and Hopels’ absences (physical and mental), the invitation is extended to them as well.

Alizeh and Ling then converse regarding the possibility of tracking down the cult. The newly formed pair of druid friends non discreetly speak in Druidic. They eventually reach an agreement to attempt gathering more information from the Halfling, Holfo, and the Elf, Findelye. Unfortunately, they left the tavern long ago.

Alizeh questions the Dwarven bartender as to the gossiping pair’s possible whereabouts. He hesitantly gives his best guess; a nearby coffee shop.

“The coffee shop is only right down the road, to the left,” he supplies.

With that, the party heads off (after waking Hopels, who wordlessly follows them leave with a weary look in his eyes).

 

* * *

 

Day 1 - Late Morning

_ Coffee Shop, Steampunk Central _

Alizeh and Ling hurry down the street. Tarkus follows at a normal speed but keeps up anyway due to his amazing speed and size. Hopels tags along. Alizeh successfully does a perception check, and notices footprints leading to the coffee shop that belong to a halfling and an elf. They arrive, and their goal is achieved when they spot the pair.

Hopels attracts attention due to his failed inspection of the shop. A few whispers regarding his suspicious behavior arise from bystanders. Ling follows close in his steps, but his perception check is successful. He notices that the bartender is rather suspicious.

“Okay. I say Tarkus distracts the bartender while Ling and I talk to those two.  _ Don’t hurt him _ ,” Alizeh strategizes, emphasizing that last bit. Tarkus glares before heading to the bar, distracting the Halfling bartender with orders upon orders of alcohol and a loud voice.

Before Alizeh can continue with her part of the plan, her confidence abruptly fails her. Tarkus turns for a moment, taking notice of this, and shouts a quick word of encouragement. Ling, meanwhile, forgets his own job and instead discusses sugar contents with the bartender. Hopels joins in and converses with them.

“H-Hi,” Alizeh awkwardly stutters as she finally approaches Findelye and Holfo. Findelye is definitely not unattractive, and Alizeh more personally greets her. “I’m the Air Genasi from the bar. I believe I recall you mentioning a cult…?”

Charmed by Alizeh’s politeness, the Elvish woman confirms this. “Yes, I did. Why is it that you ask?”

 

* * *

 

Day 1 - Noon

_ Coffee Shop, Steampunk Central _

Findelye-- and Holfo, at times-- spent a good while explaining the cult situation to Alizeh. Various times she reminded the Air Genasi that this was only a rumor, but it was a pretty solid rumor at that. Rydel pops back up, and the rest of the party (minus Tarkus) listens in.

The cult is made up of people calling themselves the Destroyers. They have managed to tinker with the islands by sneaking past the Guardian Dragons and avoiding any possible confrontation. They are a very private organization and a somewhat professional one. However, they are also unafraid of taking down any bad-mouthers. Alizeh herself is a bit guilty of this.

Their ultimate goal is to take down the islands, assuming that once the entire system fails, the land will fall gently to the ground, returning to its natural place. Once there, they can live their lives without boundaries. However, there are also rumors and tales of another country right beneath Machina. If the islands were to fall, then that country would die, and likely so would the inhabitants of the archipelago.

“Do they show any kinds of patterns?” Alizeh asks after a moment.

Findelye opens her mouth to answer but is interrupted by the bartender stomping over. At the bar, Tarkus is passed out drunk. Rydel hypnotizes two random strangers with his music. All of a sudden, they start fighting, causing a distraction for the Halfling bartender. Hopels wields a frying pan at the bar; much of the food is cooked there.

Rydel jumps onto the small cafe stage and furiously strums his ukulele.

“Ling, come with me!” Alizeh grabs the Warforged and they rush outside.

“So… that was crazy right?” she nervously begins. Ling nervously laughs-- loudly.

Meanwhile, Hopels sneaks up behind the bartender and raises his frying pan. In Auran, he mutters, “Forgive me father, for this.” He promptly knocks the unsuspecting Halfling out and pockets the frying pan. Rydel finally stops playing and shakes his sore hands as he mutters curses in Elvish.

As Rydel steps down, he notices that a small card with a strange symbol on it had slipped out of the bartender’s pocket when he fell. He swipes it.

Alizeh approaches the slightly trusting Findelye and Holfo from before and asks if they’d like to talk more in private. The pair are shocked by the situation and don’t respond for a while. When Rydel opens his mouth to attempt persuading them, Alizeh shoves him away and tries her own persuasion. The Halfling and Elf hesitantly agree, with nervous expressions.

Ling doesn’t quite know how to react to any of this. Tarkus is still out. When Rydel attempts to wake him with music, Tarkus shoots up and punches the nearest thing; the just-awoken bartender. The Halfling collapses again. The last thing he said before falling once more, was, “Where am I?”

Now that that situation is done with, Alizeh is the unofficial leader of the party. Hopels would immensely beg to differ. 

 

* * *

 

Day 1 - Afternoon

_ Holfo’s House, Steampunk Central _

The party follows Findelye and Holfo to Holfo’s cozy home. As they enter the hut-like house, they are offered tea. Without waiting for an answer, Holfo reheats a pot of tea and pours a cup for everyone except Ling. He pretends the Warforged doesn’t exist and doesn’t offer any sustenance regardless of not knowing that they don’t require it. Hopels steps to the side and reads as he sips his own offered drink.

“Can we get some food…?” Tarkus asks, already facing towards the storage cabinets.

Glancing at Findelye for a moment, Holfo gives a slow nod. “Sure, go ahead.”

Even though Holfo agreed to provide them with food, Tarkus heads off without a word to hunt for possible deer. Remarkably, two deer are grazing in a nearby neighbor’s lawn.

Meanwhile, Alizeh takes the mysterious card from Rydel (who goes snooping), and questions the pair about it. Findelye snatches it in surprise.

“This card has the cult’s symbol on it!” she exclaims. “How did you get this?”

Rydel stops snooping for a moment and gives a quick summary. The card had slipped out of the bartender’s pocket miraculously, and he noticed it seemed suspicious. He thought it was worth pocketing.

“That card is something only Destroyers should have,” Holfo speaks up, from where he’s leaning against the wall. Alizeh takes the card and stashes it in her inventory. Rydel, Ling, and Alizeh begin planning a course of action regarding the confirmed cultist.

“Do you have any more information on the cult?” Alizeh asks the by-standing pair for a moment.

“Well…” Findelye pauses and looks to Holfo as if for confirmation. He minutely shakes his head no. “No, I don’t. Sorry.”

Alizeh is definitely suspicious now. “Guys. Is this  _ whole _ town infested with cultists?!” she asks as if they’ll actually answer honestly. “Just tell us the truth.  _ Please. _ ”

Holfo suddenly rips out a dagger, shocking the party (including Tarkus who reenters the building). Findelye follows close behind, unsheathing the sword hanging on her side.

“How valuable is this information to ya’?”

The party-- minus the immune Tarkus and the Warforged Ling-- begin to notice feeling dizzy. Their tea was mildly poisoned, and they are suffering weakness and nausea as a result. They will be unable to attack until around the time that night falls.

 

* * *

 

Day 1 - Late Afternoon

_ Holfo’s House, Steampunk Central _

Alizeh, Rydel, and Hopels are now poisoned. Everyone except for Ling is hungry. At the moment, Ling is the party’s best hope, with Tarkus close behind. However, Tarkus is still outside.

To clarify, Findelye and Holfo are two new members of the Destroyers’ cult. Their goal at the tavern was to intimidate non-cultists and get more word of the cult around. The information they provided the party with about the association was, surprisingly, true. The fact that they’re so much more informed than most people about the topic is something that should’ve been deemed suspicious from the start.

The majority of the city is made up of followers of the Creators. However, our party seems to be a magnet for misfortune, so it likely appears as though everyone’s a Destroyer at this point.

Holfo sprints outside before anyone can stop him. Rydel follows after a short moment of hesitation.

“Do you have a sink?” Alizeh asks all of a sudden.

“Do you have a death wish?” Holfo replies.

“I just want a glass of water before I die.”

After a moment, Holfo nods his head in the direction of the sink. “Go ahead.”

“Do you have any glasses?” Alizeh asks rather than heading to the sink immediately.

“...Yes. What is wrong with you? You’re poisoned, and you’re concerned over drinking water?” Holfo points to the glasses anyway. Alizeh walks slowly to the sink and pulls the faucet lever. She casts “create water”, and it is extremely successful. The spell creates a cube of water that completely encompasses the house. The only party members still inside the house are Ling and Alizeh, who are both fine underwater. 

Findelye and Holfo, however, are not fine. They didn’t even have a moment to catch their breath, and almost immediately pass out. Will the party have mercy on these guilty souls? Yes; the cultists are spared. Alizeh grabs a glass, crushes it into a sand-like substance, and uses it to magically absorb the water. Hopels casts a healing spell, curing any poisoned party members. Now, aside from Ling, they’re only hungry and tired.

The party levels up! They are all now at Level 2.

As the Destroyers fall to the ground and wake back up due to the force of the crash, Alizeh lands and walks up to them threateningly. Picking up Holfo by the collar of his shirt, she raises him to her eye-level; a few feet off the ground for him.

“Don’t  _ ever  _ mess with me or my friends again,” and with that, she drops him and walks away.

 

* * *

 

Day 1 - Evening

_ Steampunk Central _

After Alizeh walks away from Findelye and Holfo, Tarkus heads over to enact his own intimidation. He attempts to acquire more information, but it fails as they are incapable of providing any more. On the other hand, we no longer need to worry about these two.

The party raids Holfo’s house for food. They find enough food for two days, but eat enough for one day. Ling, however, saves his food for emergencies as he doesn’t need to eat, and Tarkus just eats his deer meat. They are no longer hungry. Now, their main concern is finding a place to stay. There is an inn in the town’s central area, as well as rumors of a man who can change a person’s class. Ling is certainly interested in this tidbit of information, as he is seeking the life of an artificer.

As the Warforged heads off in search of the rumored man, the rest of the party makes plans for the night. Tarkus collects a few branches.

Ling finds the man, whose name is Jack, and he is indeed capable of changing a person’s class. However, it costs two gold pieces. Ling pays the required amount, and is now an artificer! Simultaneously, Alizeh finds the inn. It costs one silver piece per person to stay there for a single night. Ling returns, and everyone pays their own expenses.

Before heading to their rooms, Alizeh uses her magic to call on her old detective friend, Bo. He is highly skeptical of “magic”, calling it fancy science. At the same time, he strongly believes in Liches (an extremely rare being on Machina) and the paranormal.

She asks for advice when questioning people for any information they may have on the cult.

“Just casually start a conversation; a little bit of small talk and casual introductions. Then, lead the conversation into the cult. They’ll be more likely to answer your question-- and truthfully,” he answers, before becoming distracted and hanging up.

Unfortunately, everyone’s heading to bed, and it will be too difficult to question them now. So, Alizeh will have to use his advice tomorrow. While the rest of the party heads to bed, Ling constructs a Hookshot. He still ends up getting a long rest, but definitely doesn’t go to bed early.


End file.
